Reviews

We pointedly asked our pilot if we would see lava. He said "that depends on Pele," referring to the Polynesian fire goddess. And he certainly tried to show us some. He can't show you what's not visible, though. And there's not always lava visible. And, naturally, he's not allowed to fly into the crater. He did circle around some vents in lava tubes, where it was just possible to see some lava glowing. And he pointedly made sure to circle with both sides of the chopped facing the vents, so that people on both sides could get pictures. I was in the back on the left so that mattered to me. It ain't cheap. But there's no other way to see this stuff. You can't really drive to it. And lava changes from one day to the next; roads that may have gotten you to a vent yesterday may now be reachable today. The second part of the tour was looking at waterfalls. Yes, there are quite a few of them on this island. And the pilot made a point of showing them to both sides. You will have that option of buying a DVD of your flight, containing internal and external views at various points in the flight. We bought it and we've decided that was a good idea. It's a good way to show off to others what you saw. Note: avoid wearing brightly-colored clothing, especially whites. The windows in the chopper are rather reflective on the inside. Ergo, any really bright clothing will reflect off the glass and potentially ruin your pictures. They had some darker-colored jackets which they loaned to people who didn't know this.

I've been wanting to fly over active lava for 20+ years, and this was my first opportunity. It was overcast, which made really good viewing. Our pilot, Greg, was awesome, very knowledgeable, and had a couple punch lines that made everyone laugh. There is no way to drive anywhere near the flow and get the scope of Pele's fury, so this was well worth the money. LOVED IT!!

Eric our pilot was wonderful. We were very honored to be able to see bubbling lava in the centre of the volcano. Our second time on a Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour. Definately NOT disapointed!

We went on the Big Island Spectacular tour and it was incredible! I was a bit nervous that it wouldn't live up to expectations given the price, but I'm so happy we took that tour. It was some of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen! The pilot was very knowledgeable and provided so much information about the volcanoes and landscape. If you want to see the Big Island, this is the best way to do it! Definitely worth it.

This was one of the best moments of our entire trip- I did the Big Island Spectacular, and would give it 10 stars if I could- some of the most amazing sights I've ever seen or even dreamt of. Our pilot Toshi was hilarious, informative, and fun. I have only praise for this amazing experience.

We booked our tour and was picked up by the company on time. When we arrived the staff was friendly and seemed helpful. This is where our whole experience turned to hell. We ask the lady who where allocating the seats if my son could sit in the middle next to me and my friend. She said the pilot is experienced and we have nothing to worry about. My friend asked if it could be a low key ride as my 7 year old son is feeling a bit scared. No problem she said. Lo and behold my son sits at the window. When I asked him if I can switch with my son he said No. So my son freak out and leave the aircraft. My friend ask the pilot about switching and he rudely tells her not to ask questions as he is only flying the helicopter. When she complains the reception staff say sorry you booked it so we will still charge you the $1900. Long story short they refund half and said they will have a word the pilot. We are $950 out of pocket no tour over the valcano and no service delivery. Also be aware it is not a two hour ride as promised as we where about to lift off the pilot said by the way we are switching helicopters in Hilo. Thank you again Blue Hawaiin helicopters and staff for a great experience. Tina, British Columbia, Canada

Eric was our pilot on the Circle of Fire Tour. The volcano activity had stalled while we were visiting the island and we were determined to see some volcanic activity. Well needless to say we saw a small fire on the hardened lava and were told that was from the lava flow. Bit disappointing but the helicopter tour was absolutely breathtaking! The view and the tour over the hardened lava and the waterfalls were wonderful! Also got a chance to see many steam vents at the crater. We were all given headsets so that we could ask questions and listen to others talk and comment. I would do it again.

We did the longest trip they had and there was a refueling and bathroom stop in Hilo about halfway through. I used to work on corporate helicopters and have taken many trips like this. This company is easily the most professional of all of them. They gave a full safety briefing before the trip unlike others that just strapped on a life jacket and took off. The pilot John is ex-military and flew a very stable flight. He explained a lot of the sights on the island and circled us over the Mount Kilauea summit. He did take us around the new lava flow but there wasn't much going on. Apparently they have not had any lava flow into the ocean since August 2013, so don't expect to see any rivers of lava. No, you cannot pick your seat on any helicopter that's full because the seats are set by your weight so the helicopter can stay within its weight and balance limits. It's just the way the world works. Yeah, they were expensive but if you're a nervous flier these folks are very reassuring in how they conduct their safety briefings and the flight itself. My wife is a nervous flier, had never been on a helicopter before and was very hesitant about doing the trip. After we landed she wanted to do another trip! If you're staying at a large hotel, go sit through their timeshare presentation. Hilton knocked a hundred bucks off the flight per person. Not too bad for wasting an hour and a half. :-)

This was one of my favorite activities that we did on the Big Island. While it is EXORBITANTLY expensive, it is well worth the money for that once in a lifetime view (how often do you get to see a volcano erupting from overhead? Fly into a canyon you could never hike into?). The pilots are very well informed and they have a great soundtrack of music playing in your headphones while you fly around the island. POINTERS: When you check in, ask if you can sit in one of the front seats (then you see everything) and buy the DVD, you won't believe what you saw if you don't rewatch it.

I felt the need to post another review for this attraction after getting all my pictures back and getting to re-live the experience. We did the Big Island Tour so we were treated to the full experience of the volcanos, valleys, gorges and waterfalls. This is a once in a lifetime thing and yes, it is expensive but you will not regret it. Our trip was end of May 2014. Couple of hints that may answer some questions posed by other reviews. NO, you can't sit where ever you want, the pilot assigns the seating based on weight distribution but, there is not a bad seat, the pilot swings a 360 around every attraction so that everyone gets a great look. NO, you will not be guaranteed to see lava flowing into the sea, you may not see lava at all, we were lucky and did see the caldera active and several bubbling hotspots. NO, you will not be guaranteed a fly over of the Caldera, this is an active volcano and the pilots works off of daily seismic reports and their goal is to give a great ride while keeping you safe YES, you will have your breath taken away, as our pilot stated as we hovered in front of a 2,400 ft waterfall, very few humans get to see this beauty, it is not accessible by land Of all of the things we did, this was by far our greatest experience

We had 3 school age children in our group of 6. The pilot was really informative and it was easy for the children to ask questions. We were all really impressed that even from the middle seats the views were excellent all very excited by the flight. It was all we hoped for and would certainly use Blue Hawaiian again. The absolute bonus for us was our mother who didn't fly with us dropped her camera from the car when getting us from the airport. The camera was handed to Blue Hawaiian staff who had the sense to look at the photos , recognised the children and then rang our mobile . We hadn' noticed the camera missing and were miles away. We collected a very expensive camera that night so top marks you really went the extra mile for service as well.

Nice drive to the other side of the big island. They have seriously fixed the roads from the last time we did this. Great sightseeing on the way, but WOW was this helicopter ride worth it. The pilot took us right over the top of the volcano. It was very cool seeing the lava come out and the fires burning below us. When we were there, the lava flow had just shifted away from the housing development. It is WAY TOO CLOSE for comfort though if you are in one of those places. Worth the money. You get to see waterfalls on the way back in too. We had unbelievably clear weather the day we went up. Highly recommend it.

This was a series of firsts for me: first time traveling to Hawaii and first time flying in a helicopter. I chose Blue Hawaiian Helicopters because of all the great reviews I'd read here. I was not disappointed. The staff was friendly and helpful, and my pilot Tim was really knowledgeable about the area. The price was worth the sights I saw (oh yeah, a steaming, fiery volcano and some lava flowing) as well as the cool helicopter ride itself. If you decide to go with Blue Hawaiian, make sure you pick their Circle of Fire Tour and an Eco-Star. Mahalo, Blue Hawaiian Helicopters! Next time I am in Hawaii, I'll take another tour with you!

I have a serious fear of heights yet the experience with Erik and staff of the Blue Hawaiian Helicopter was worth all the sweaty palms and anxiety. We drove from the Mauna Lani across the Mauna Kea on the 200. Pleasant ride of approx. 1.5 hours to Hilo. Upon arrival, clear and brief overview and instructions were given. Seated on the Helicopter and off we went while the music of Hawaii Five-O is playing in your headphones! Our pilot Erik was informative, knowledgeable and fun. So impressed that he remembered our names and engaged us often. Having only 4 of us on board was great. Every effort was made by him to give us the best view and angle to see the sites The volcano was truly impressive. A spiritual experience, We respect the power of nature and yet are saddened for those that are impacted by the flow. Incredible Do it if you haven't and fly with Erik and team!

The whole reason for going to the Big Island was for the Volcanoes. The current conditions meant the only practical way to see any activity was via helicopter and the reviews for Blue Hawaiian seemed pretty good. We took the Circle of Fire tour from Hilo and Eric was our pilot. What starts as a nice trip over the island turns into an introduction to the inexorable path of lava from the Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent east of Kilauea. We tend to expect to see bright orange and red lava spewing up from the crater but that's not usual. The lava moves 50-75 yards a day, and the first sign are the trees and landscape smoking in the distance and then the land changes to dark grey and brown with the occasional green oasis that somehow survives the slow onslaught. The rest is up to you to discover. This will simply be one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I think it will be for you as well. Spend the extra $30 for the video...very worth it to view again and share with others. Aloha